If things can get worse for NASA under the current White House, it appears they will.
Both The Planetary Society and The Mars Society are warning their members about a potential 50 percent cut to the NASA program.
In a press release earlier today, The Planetary Society stated:
Should these cuts come to pass, the result would be nothing short of an extinction event for space science and exploration in the United States.
The Mars Society issued a similar warning, stating:
These cuts will almost certainly entail the shutting down of the Mars Curiosity rover, the Hubble Space Telescope, the Voyager and New Horizon interstellar probes, among others, and derail almost all plans for future American planetary exploration and astronomy missions.
The Mars Society President and Founder Dr. Robert Zubrin went further in his condemnation of the proposed cuts to the agency’s Space Science Directorate, stating:
It is not merely the crown jewel of NASA. It is the gothic cathedral of our age, carrying the banner of our society’s highest ideal – the search for truth through science. Destroying it would be wanton crime not only against science, but civilization itself.
We can only hope this is more bluster from the White House similar to tariffs that are immediately pulled back or even NASA personnel cuts that are canceled at the last minute. Bipartisan push back from Congress is also very likely.
During his inauguration, President Trump spoke about a U.S flag on Mars, yet there is little chance of that happening under this administration or anytime soon should these budget cuts occur.
Our Awesome Universe 